| Challenges | Abilities | Skills |
| Working on something new (new to yourself and new to the organisation) and not having the confidence to know where to start | - Ability to produce a Project Initiation Document/Project Definition Document - Ability to run a structured requirements gathering exercise | - Risk analysis and management - Chairing and facilitating meetings and workshops - Business analysis - Planning, estimating and scheduling |
| Working with new colleagues and suppliers with whom you have no history or track record of success | - Ability to establish respect for the project and the role of project manager early within the project lifecycle - Ability to communicate clearly to all participants regarding your expectations of their behaviour and contribution to the project | - Stakeholder analysis and management - Team building and people management |
| Limited buy in and support to what you are doing accompanied sometimes by suspicion surrounding the project as it is associated with changing the current situation | - Ability to plan relevant communications that are persuasive and tailored to the audience - Ability to understand people’s perception of change and their reaction to it | - Verbal and written communication skills - Stakeholder analysis and management |
| Need to constantly balance multiple workstreams whilst remaining aware and committed to the overall goal of the project | - Ability to plan the work in sufficient detail that it can be easily understood by those that are responsible for its delivery - Ability to drive commitment by appreciating the benefits that the project will bring to the organisation | - Planning, estimating and scheduling - Team building and people management - Benefits management |
| To identify and manage issues and changes that arise on the project so that they do not derail the project or lead to unauthorised expenditures or delays | - Ability to plan the work in sufficient detail that the impact of changes can be easily calculated - Ability to understand and plan for the different requirements of all those impacted by the project | - Change management - Configuration management - Planning, estimating and scheduling - Risk analysis and management |
| Building working relationships with outside contractors and strategic partners in areas where you do not have a great deal of specialist knowledge | - Ability to understand and empathise with external organisations regarding their motivation for successful project completion - Ability to plan the project whilst incorporating input from specialists whilst not losing sight of the overall goal | - Team building and management - Leadership - Presentation skills, written and verbal communication skills |
| Different user groups will often have conflicting requirements that must be agreed and prioritised. These requirements must be linked to the abilities and willingness of the suppliers to create the relevant products or services. | - Ability to negotiate between conflicting needs and priorities - Ability to understand the points of view of different users and the suppliers | - Negotiation skills - Facilitation skills - Team building and management |
| Being able to draw the project to a close, and ensure agreement from all parties that sufficient work has been completed to justify this closure, particularly when significant change has led to confusion over the end point of the project | - Ability to analyse the impact of closure on the operational environment - Ability to negotiate between conflicting priorities and needs | - Presentation skills - Report writing skills - Analysis skills |
Home / Course Information / Articles
Skills Framework for Project Managers
‹ Back
